Moon of My Life
by Thorin-Oakenbutt
Summary: After dying in her own world, Gwendolyn is sent to a place she had only read about and dreamed of. After living a life void of love and happiness, she finds her true family in an unexpected party of 13 dwarves, a hobbit and a wizard. But she realizes that she has to face many hardships and overcome seemingly impossible obstacles before she can truly be with them.
1. In My End Is My Beginning

Searing pain ripped through Gwen's body as she struggled to fight against the hand that held her head below the freezing water. Her legs were bound as were her hands but she had broken them free in a frantic attempt to fight back which she now knew was in vain as her arms flailed wildly behind her in attempt to bat away her attacker.

Her eyes were clamped tightly shut as the salty water stung her eyes and she struggled to keep her mouth closed, trying with all her might to hold her breath until she could free herself from the tight grasp on her hair.

Somehow Gwen had known this would happen; that he would grow tired of his torturing her and eventually just kill her. Most days she found that she begged for it, for the day she would be free of his sadistic ways but now that it had finally come to it, she realized that she didn't want to die after all.

Her lungs felt like they would burst against her rib cage and she was beginning to feel light headed, choking on the water as she began to gulp in great amounts of it in attempt to get some air in her lungs but failing miserably.

She felt the hand on her head push her deeper into the icy water, faintly hearing insults being shouted at her as she slowly began to fade from consciousness. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head from beneath her eyelids and she felt herself becoming limp; her flailing hands slowing their movements and slumping to her sides. Before she could slip into a permanent slumber, a bright white flashed from behind her eyelids and forced her eyes open, the light spilling out into the water around her.

When Bilbo looked back on the day he left his hobbit hole for his afternoon walk and stumbled upon Gwen when she was lying unconscious by the river, he had realized how truly blessed he was to have found her.

At first he had thought that it was just another hobbit enjoying the sunset while they happily kicked their feet in the water but after a closer look he realized that it was someone lying unconscious and face down in the grass.

Bilbo had been hesitant to walk over to the body and was surprised to find that it was a woman. Even more surprised to find that it was a human woman. He had quickly dropped his pipe and knelt down next to her, unsure of how to proceed as he took in her soaking wet, and very strange, clothes.

His first thought was to shake her vigorously by her shoulders until she opened her eyes, his second was to run back to his hobbit hole and act as if he didn't see anything but he quickly dismissed that thought as he brushed wet hair out of the girl's face and peered at her soft features.

Something inside of him had melted as he looked down at the peaceful look on her face. He couldn't see much as she was covered in mud but he could tell she was very young and in need of a good meal as she was quite a skinny thing.

He had jumped when she suddenly groaned; face scrunching up in pain as she pushed herself up slightly before coughing up great amounts of water that had Bilbo wondering just how deep in the river she went. The girl stiffened as he hesitantly pulled the hair from her face and patted her back awkwardly.

When the she had finished her retching, she wiped her mouth and turned to look back at him, fatigue and fear clear in her wide eyes. When she spoke her voice was raspy and broken, as if she'd been eating gravel and her teeth were chattering uncontrollably. "W-who are y-you?"

Bilbo felt a pang of sympathy as he watched the girl; she was clearly not from around here, frightened out of her wits and freezing cold if her violent shivering was any indication, which it was. Most likely starving and definitely injured from the way she clutched her chest although he suspected that was due to her almost drowning.

"Bilbo Baggins" A glint of recognition appeared in her eyes before quickly disappearing as she fought to keep them open.

Something inside of him had told him that he needed to take care of her and he didn't realize what he was doing when he pulled one of her arms over his shoulder and wrapped the other around her waist, pulling her up from the cold ground until she began to retch again and they both fell forward with a cry.

When she had once again regained her composure, Bilbo repeated his actions and pulled her to her feet, finding her lighter than he expected when he made her lean her weight on him. Her head was lolling to the side and her eyes barely open as they very slowly made their way to Bag End. A grim determination had spurred Bilbo on as the normal half an hour walk took well over an hour, the girl had flitted in and out of consciousness, falling to the ground multiple times and bringing Bilbo down with her twice.

Bilbo was tiring as they slowly advanced on his home and his legs began to burn, the girl on his shoulder feeling heavier than when they had first started causing his shoulder to ache. As if she had sensed his change in his demeanor, she removed herself from his grip and pushed herself as quickly as her body would allow, tripping a few times in the process but managing nonetheless.

Bilbo felt a sense of admiration as he watched her struggle on without complaint, grateful that she considered his wellbeing despite being so weary but at the same time he wanted to scold her for being so rash and pushing her body too far.

She had managed to drag herself to his door where she collapsed to the ground and immediately drifted into the welcome unconsciousness. It had taken a lot of Bilbo's energy and strength to gently drag her across the floor and hoist her into a bed in one of the guest rooms.

He began to worry though, for her skin was ghostly pale and felt like ice against his hand. He quickly busied himself with lighting a fire and setting up candles around the room before placing a hot water bottle underneath her pillow and tucking the blanket up to her chin.

He had briefly considered changing her into some dry clothes but he decided against it, thinking she would not appreciate being handled by a stranger and a man no less. She had been wearing a large jumper that was completely drenched and he could see her top underneath reached up to her neck so he struggled for a few minutes to pull it off before hanging it up by the fire. He also removed her shoes and a pair of strange glove-like things from her feet which were also placed by the fire.

Using the last of his energy, he had dragged a small arm chair to the side of the bed and immediately fell asleep after making sure she was as comfortable as she could be.

She had not woken for three days and Bilbo was beginning to worry, he had even brought in a doctor to check that she was actually going to wake up and was assured that her body just needed time to recover.

It was then that the girl finally woke with a startled gasp and retched over the side of the bed, a bucket was placed in front of her and a soothing hand rubbed her back until there was nothing left for her to throw up.

When she had realized there was a hand on her back, she begun to panic and jumped back, pushing herself against the head board as much as she could while looked around wild eyed until her eyes landed on the two hobbits stood before her.

Bilbo had been yelped and jumped back in surprise as he stared back at the woman but the doctor seemed calm as ever and even smiled softly at the girl. Both hobbits stood watching her as she relaxed slightly and turned her gaze to Bilbo.

"Y-you saved me?" Her voice was still rough from the retching and was handed a glass of water by the doctor who stood to the side.

"I did" Bilbo said, he was surprised the girl even remembered his face as she had only looked at him once when he found her.

"Thank you" Her voice sounded slightly better after having finished the water and she shuffled in the bed to sit more comfortably.

Bilbo had been about to answer but was cut off by the doctor who suggested he go and make the girl some soup as she must be starving wouldn't be able to stomach solid food for a few days. Bilbo had done just that and the doctor had questioned the girl while they waited for him to return with her food.

"What is your name?" The doctor was a kind old hobbit with white shoulder length hair that framed his face nicely and glasses that balanced off the end of his nose. He had a comforting smile and was loved by all hobbits of the shire as he had been nursing the sick there since he was a boy; his father had done the same before him and his grandfather and so on.

"G-Gwendolyn" She had begun to fidget, her hands darted up to her hair in attempt to tame her curly blonde locks, tugging at her clothes to cover herself with before she realized she was only in her short sleeved shirt and panicked once again, trying to cover herself with the blanket.

The doctor, being a very observant hobbit, had already noticed the many scars that had lined her pale arms; some were barely visible while others were a deep shade of purple or red telling him they were deeper wounds she had quite recently acquired.

He hadn't said anything in case she didn't want them to be seen and he had guessed correctly. He smiled sadly at her, realizing she must have gone through a lot to acquire such a large amount of scars and then realizing that they were placed too close together and in a way that suggested that they were not accidents, most of them anyway.

He had asked where she got them before he could stop himself and he wondered if he had crossed a boundary when the girl flinched at his words. But she had simply said that she'd rather not say so he left it at that.

"How old are you, my dear?" He had moved to sit on the end of the bed, resting his hands on his thighs as he noticed how young she looked.

"Twenty three" It was then that Bilbo returned to the room holding a small wooden tray with a small bowl of vegetable soup on it. She had shied away when the doctor stood to move the pillows behind her to a more comfortable position and Bilbo stood watching confusedly.

The doctor had simply smiled kindly and adjusted the pillows so that she could sit against them more comfortably. Bilbo waited until she had settled to place the tray on her lap and she had simply looked down at the bowl with a confused expression before Bilbo assured her that it was cool enough to eat.

She thanked him quietly before reaching for the spoon, Bilbo had then seen her arms and was about to say something until he caught the doctor's gaze and quietened as he saw him shake his head.

The two hobbits silently watched her eat all of the soup and Bilbo took the bowl back to the kitchen before returning to find the doctor pulling the covers over the girl and telling her to get some rest.

"Is she alright?" Bilbo was rubbing the back of his hand and glancing at the girl with a worried expression.

"She will be fine so long as she eats soup until she feels ready to stomach solid food and when she does, only small amounts at a time. She needs plenty of rest and to be kept warm, her body needs time to recover" His voice had turned serious as he spoke; making sure Bilbo knew exactly what to do.

"Understood" He nodded vigorously and the doctor's expression softened.

"It's a good thing you found her when you did, Bilbo. I doubt she would have survived if you didn't save her." Bilbo had had to swallow a lump in his throat and walked the doctor to the door.

"Thank you very much; I apologize for calling on such short notice-" The doctor cut him off with a small chuckle and squeezed Bilbo's shoulder gently.

"It's quite alright, Bilbo, it's my job to nurse the sick so I am always running from one place to the next" He smiled kindly and turned to open the door, "I have no doubt that you two will be good for each other, if you choose to keep the girl around that is"

Bilbo smiled and dug in his pocket for his purse but was stopped when the doctor placed a hand on his arm, "I won't accept any money for this one but I will be coming back to check up on the girl once a week. Remember what I said; Only soup-"

"Plenty of rest and warmth, gradual amounts of solid food, yes, yes, I know" The doctor chuckled before stepping out of the door and waving goodbye as he left.

As days went by, Bilbo found out more about young Gwen despite her hesitation to share. It had taken telling her everything about him for her to finally open up and even then she was very reserved when talking about herself.

He was very shocked to find out that she was from another world, one where this world was just a story and most of the things in his world didn't exist but he had accepted it after she begun to tell him about things found in her world and how she had recognized his name but she said no more on that matter.

She told him of the place she was from and her hobbies, her interests and her favourite kind of music. He found out that her favourite colour was blue, not a dark blue like his favourite jacket, but a blue as light and welcoming as the sky on a summer's morning.

She told him of her love for drawing and cooking, they had spent many hours doing both together and enjoyed each other's company very much, although they did not speak during these times but they had both been content to work in silence before discussing their favourite things to draw or cook in detail.

She told him of her love for rain and nature, he had agreed with the nature part but had told her that he preferred the sun. She also told him of her love of books and that she loved to write whenever she had the chance. He had smiled at that as he also loved books and was looking to eventually write one himself to which she encouraged him with great enthusiasm.

He had also noticed a great many things about her that she didn't speak of, such as her shyness and how she would easily become nervous; she would avoid strangers keep as much of herself covered as she could which he guessed was due to the scars on her arms. Sometimes she would lock herself in her room for hours and Bilbo had no idea what she would do during that time or why she done it but he didn't ask.

He learned the hard way that if he wanted to know something personal about her then he would have to wait for her to tell him when she was ready. It was when he had asked about her family and she completely shut him out, locking herself in her room for days during which time she would not eat and he could hear quiet sobs and whimpers escaping through the cracks in the door.

Word had eventually got out that Bilbo had taken in a young girl and rumors spread of him taking her as a wife but he assured them that these weren't true, Bilbo saw Gwen as more of a daughter than anything else and she agreed, much to his relief.

It took a lot of convincing and the promise of letting her bake whatever she wanted for a week if she came to the market with him. She had only agreed because of the baking and they spent the day browsing through many stalls and buying various ingredients that she wanted to use as well as clothes for her to wear as her old ones would simply not do.

Although she attracted many curious gazes, it had made her very uncomfortable as she wasn't used to it but Bilbo assured her that they meant no harm. Eventually he could see that it was becoming too much for her and offered to go back saying that they could return another day when she felt ready.

True to his word, the doctor-who Gwen had later found out was called Grigory- had returned once every week to check up on her and was pleased to see she was doing so well. It was on his fourth visit that she had eventually opened up to them and told them of her old life and family, explaining how she had gotten her scars.

Both Bilbo and Grigory were horrified by what she told them and comforted her greatly when she had begun to cry uncontrollably. But Bilbo had scolded her fiercely when she told them about her arms and had said 'should you ever do it again I won't hesitate to bury you up to your neck in troll dung for a week!' which had caused her to laugh loudly and hug him tightly, assuring him she wouldn't.

It had been five months since Bilbo found her and both he and Grigory threw a small celebration feast in her honour which has also resulted in tears although Bilbo was glad to say that they were tears of happiness.

During her new life in the Shire, Bilbo had become her new father and Grigory an uncle, they both cherished her greatly and she them. Gwen had never felt as happy in her life as she did then.

She found that she had great skill in wood carving and would often create small figurines and keepsakes for them which they both loved. Bilbo had suggested that she carve them for a living and they often found hobbits knocking on the door looking to buy them and sometimes even requesting specific things to give to loved ones which she had enthusiastically agreed to, much to Bilbo's amusement.

It was in her sixth month there when they were sitting in the garden-Bilbo sitting on a bench and smoking from a long pipe that reached down to his toes while Gwen sketched him in great detail from her place in the grass-that they had the most unexpected visitor although Gwen had thought he would turn up sooner or later as she knew this story very well.

One of Bilbo's smoke rings had suddenly blown back into his face and he coughed before they both looked up to see a tall elderly man dressed in a pointy hat, dusty grey robes that reached to his toes and was leaning on a wooden staff as tall as himself. He had a long unkempt beard and vibrant blue eyes that held an air of mischief.

Bilbo sat looking up at him confused before he pulled his pipe away from his mouth and said, "Good morning!"

Gwen watched as the wizard looked down at him with narrowed eyes, "What do you mean?" He said. "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good on this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"

Gwen smiled and cut in before Bilbo could even open his mouth, "What if he _was_ to wish you a good morning? Would you wish him one too, or perhaps you would simply agree as you had wanted it to be good or you didn't in which case you would disagree; or maybe he simply feels good on this morning and wishes to inform you so that you may share his good feelings; or it is, in fact, just a morning to be good on?"

Bilbo looked down at her in surprise, she had never spoken to openly and with such confidence to a stranger before and it stunned him but then he looked closer at the look on her face he guessed that she knew him already but he wondered how as she had never mentioned an elderly fellow with a pointy hat and beard as long as his arm.

He didn't get a chance to ask as the man turned to peer curiously at Gwen with an amused smile on his face, "And who might you be, my dear?" He smiled down at her kindly as she stood and offered her hand.

"Gwen, at your service, master Gandalf" Gandalf's eyebrows shot up in surprise before he took her hand in his, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles causing her to blush.

He let go of her hand as Bilbo suddenly cried in outburst, "Not Gandalf the wandering wizard who made such excellent fireworks! Old Took used to have them on midsummer's eve!" Gandalf smiled and Bilbo chuckled before he continued in a disbelieving voice. "I had no idea you were still in business"

The wizard's smile faltered and he sounded a little cross as he spoke, "And where else shall I be?"

"Well," Bilbo began to wave his pipe around slightly before clearing his throat awkwardly and Gwen giggled.

"Well I am pleased to find you remember something about me, even if it is just my fireworks…" He sounded a bit dejected towards the end before nodding once.

"Well that's decided," He moved his staff to his left hand and pointed at both Gwen and Bilbo with his right. "It will be very good for _you_, and most amusing for _me_!" He smiled mischievously and nodded once again, "I shall inform the others."

Gwen smiled knowingly but then frowned as Bilbo began to protest, "Inform who?" Gandalf took a step away but stopped as Bilbo continued, "W-what? No, no no, wait!" He took hold of Gwen's arm and began to pull her towards the door, "We do not want _any_ adventures here, thank you, not today! I suggest you try over the hill or… across the water" He held his hand out and gestured away from them, "Good morning!"

Gwen looked back and gave Gandalf an excited grin before she was pulled inside and the door slammed shut behind her.


	2. The Arrival Of The Dwarves Of Erebor

Bilbo was stunned to find himself shut out of his own home. He had woken up around an hour ago and as soon as he stepped foot in the kitchen, Gwen had shoved a piece of paper and purse into his hands. She told him to buy everything on the list before she unceremoniously pushed him out of the door and banged it shut behind him.

He stood in his pajamas and checkered robe with his messy hair hanging over his eyes as he stared down at the purse and crumpled paper in his hand which had a list as long as his arm on it. He huffed as he heard her shout that she wouldn't let him back in until he had bought absolutely everything on the list. So he grumpily set off towards the market, earning himself a few odd looks as he trailed from one stall to the next in his pajamas.

He ticked off the last item on his list when the male hobbit, working the stall in front of him, spoke up. "'Ere, Bilbo, you been runnin' up an' down these stalls all mornin', you havin' a party or summin'?" Bilbo looked up and crumpled the list before shoving it in his pocket. "I have no idea; I woke up this morning only to have Gwen lock me out with only this list and my purse while saying that I'm not allowed back until I have everything. She didn't even give me a chance to get dressed!" He huffed loudly and gestured to his clothes as the other hobbit laughed heartily.

"How's she been 'nyway? Not seen 'er for a while, she sick?" Bilbo frowned and shook his head.

"She has been acting a little strange lately but no, she's not sick; unusually excited, but not sick" He smiled at the other hobbit as he took the wrapped meat held out for him and placed it on the mountain of food he already held.

"Tha' is good to 'ear. Worries tha lot o' us when she gets sick, such a lovely girl! Tell 'er I said mornin' will ya?" The hobbit smiled brightly and waved goodbye to Bilbo who was glad to finally be able to return home so that he could take a well-deserved nap.

Bilbo could barely see over the large bundle of food in his small arms. Some of it began to slip and so he would have to ask someone to drop him and the rest of his wares at his home. He found Hamfast Gamgee fixing his cart and pony across the market and hurried over to him.

Hamfast had agreed to drop Bilbo outside of his hobbit hole and they sat in comfortable silence the whole way until Bilbo thanked him and hopped off of the cart. He piled all of the food back into his arms before yelling thanks to Hamfast who grinned and waved back as his cart slowly disappeared down the hill. He was struggling to open the garden gate with his hip when Gwen came rushing out to help him.

"You're back! Is this everything?" Bilbo smiled at her enthusiasm and nodded, glad to be relieved of some of the weight from his aching arms as Gwen took half of it. She smiled and placed a kiss on his head as she held the door open with her foot.

"You're an angel!" He chuckled and was about to go into the kitchen to put the food down when he noticed large maroon curtains blocking his way.

"Did you put those up?" Bilbo cocked his head to the side as he instead placed the food on the living room table. "What are you planning?" He narrowed his eyes at Gwen but she only looked down at him mischievously.

"I'm not planning anything; I simply wanted to cook for our guests who will be arriving later tonight." She was grinning widely but Bilbo only looked up at her suspiciously as he placed his hands on his hips.

"I don't remember saying you could invite guests over! What's going on, Gwendolyn?" She ducked at the use of her full name but continued to look at him mysteriously.

"I already told you, Bilbo, you will see later tonight!" He opened his mouth to speak but Gwen cut him off as she opened the curtain to the kitchen before turning back to him. "Under no circumstances is any one to come into the kitchen unless I say so. Especially you, Bilbo Baggins, I know you love to sneak snacks when you think I'm not looking. Don't think I haven't noticed"

Bilbo smiled up at her sheepishly and was left standing confused in the living room. He moved to sit in his favourite arm chair by the fire place when Gwen returned with a large plate of bacon, eggs and beans for him, his stomach began to rumble at the sight.

He took an hour to scoff down the large amount of food before Gwen came back to retrieve his plate and handed him a cup of tea. While she was in the kitchen he could hear pots banging and food frying, knives chopping, water running and a soft humming that lulled him into a deep sleep.

* * *

Bilbo was jerked awake by the shrill ringing of the door bell. He quickly jumped to his feet and rubbed his eyes as he made his way to the door, wondering if it would be the guests Gwen had been talking about earlier. He had expected some of the younger hobbits from the village, his neighbour or even Grigory who had not visited in the past two weeks. What he did not expect, however, was a tall, half bald dwarf with an impressive beard and tattoos covering both his hands and head. He wore a dark green cloak and looked down at Bilbo with bright eyes.

"Dwalin," His deep voice startled the hobbit out of his gawking and Bilbo watched as the dwarf gave a low bow without breaking eye contact. "At your service"

Bilbo quickly cleared his throat and tied his robe round himself awkwardly. "Bilbo Baggins, at yours" He was too surprised to say anything else as the burly dwarf pushed his way inside, ducking so as not to hit his head on the door frame. "Do we know each other?" Bilbo looked entirely confused at the dwarf who began to shrug his cloak off and look around curiously.

"No." Dwalin gave him a skeptical look before he threw his large cloak to the startled hobbit and began to look around once again. "Which way is it, laddie, is it down here?"

"I-I-Is what down where?" Dwalin turned back to Bilbo and shot him a look that told him he should have already known the answer.

"Supper. He said there'd be food, and lots of it." The large dwarf began walking around, Bilbo guessed to search for the kitchen, looking down different hallways and peering into each room.

"H-He said? Who said?" Bilbo didn't receive an answer and took two tentative steps towards Dwalin, watching as the dwarf walked over to the curtains that blocked the way into the kitchen. "You can't go in there!" Dwalin's heavy footsteps halted at the panicked words just as his hand gripped the curtain and he turned to look at the hobbit suspiciously.

"And why not, laddie?" He stared down at the flustered hobbit who shrunk back from the look he was receiving.

"I-I was told not to let any one in until it's time" He sounded uncertain and even a little scared as Dwalin took a step away from the curtain to face him.

"Who told you that? I can smell the food from here and I don't like to be kept waiting for my dinner, laddie" Bilbo looked up at the dwarf as a deep scowl set on his face. He opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by another chime of the doorbell. He sighed in relief and went to open the door as he saw Dwalin move closer to the fireplace out of the corner of his eye.

Bilbo was still very surprised when he opened the door to find another dwarf waiting expectantly. This dwarf was older and had a long white beard that grew to his ribs, when he bowed it was low and with his arms thrown out to the sides. "Balin, at your service!"

"Good evening" Bilbo simply looked at the dwarf who smiled and turned his head to look up at the darkened sky.

"Yes, yes it is," Balin lifted the fabric of his coat and stepped inside, "though I think it might rain later" He gripped Bilbo's hand and shook it once. "Am I late?" Bilbo frowned and looked even more confused.

"Late for what?" But he didn't receive an answer as Balin caught movement from the corner of his eye and turned his head to see Dwalin with his hand in a jar of biscuits as he shook it furiously.

"Oh! Ha ha! Evening brother" Balin sauntered over to where Dwalin stood with a wide smile on his face as he placed the jar back where he found it.

"By my beard, you're shorter and wider than last we met"

"Wider, not shorter. Sharp enough for both of us!" Balin winked and they both chuckled loudly as they gripped each other's shoulders tightly then roughly bumped their heads together causing Bilbo to flinch involuntarily.

"Um, ah, 'scuse me? Sorry, hate to interrupt but thing is I'm not entirely sure you're in the right house..." Bilbo's words went unheard as the brothers continued to chuckle before Balin spoke again.

"Have you eaten?" Dwalin frowned and shook his head, quite annoyed that he was being refused food.

"I asked but the hobbit said we had to wait until it's time" Balin looked confused as he turned from Dwalin to face Bilbo who was quite annoyed at being ignored in his own home.

"Time for what? Have you at least got any ale?" The hobbit perked up at that and led them through towards the pantry, he stopped when he saw that it was locked and two large barrels were placed in front of the wooden doors with thirteen large wooden mugs placed on top of them.

He frowned as he realized that Gwen must have struggled to pull each barrel out by herself while he was at the market but his frown turned to a glare as both dwarves barged their way past him and each grabbed a mug.

"I-It's not that I don't like visitors, I-I like visitors as much as the next hobbit, but I do like to know them before they come... visiting" He was stepping from one foot to the other as he spoke and watched as the two _visitors_ began to grumble between themselves, completely ignoring him. "Thing is, um, the thing is I-I don't know either of you, not in the slightest, I don't mean to be blunt but I, uh, I had to speak my mind, I'm sorry." He held both hands up in front of him and looked between the dwarves as they shared a look and turned to face him.

"Apology accepted!" Balin smiled at him and Bilbo cleared his throat, nodding once before he realized what happened and the two dwarves went back to the ale. "Oh now fill it up brother, don't stint!" The door bell chimed once again and Bilbo was starting to become very annoyed as he stomped back into the hallway.

When he opened the door this time he found that two more dwarves and was surprised at the fact that they looked so young, compared to Dwailn and Balin anyway. The one on the left had long blond hair that was pushed back out of his face and braided at the sides. He had a short beard and two mustache braids hung on either side of his mouth. The other dwarf appeared to be younger and had no braids, just dark brown hair that was slightly ruffled and hung simply over his shoulders. He also had no beard, only stubble lined his cheeks and chin.

"Fili-" The blond one said, "And Kili," said the brunet before they both offered a low bow just as Balin and Dwailn did. "at your service!" They spoke the last part in unison before standing up straight. The brunet smiled widely at Bilbo, "You must be Mr Boggins!"

Bilbo looked annoyed at their arrival as well as the mispronunciation and bowed his head before closing the door as he spoke. "Nope! You can't come in, you've come to the wrong house!" The door was almost shut when Kili pushed it open again, much to Bilbo's surprise and took a step inside, Fili following closely.

"What? Has it been canceled?" He looked quite dejected as Fili turned to look between his brother and Bilbo, "No one told us"

Bilbo scowled. "Canceled? No, nothing's been canceled!"

"That's a relief!" Kili smiled and pushed the door open all the way so that he and Fili could saunter past the hobbit and into his home uninvited. Kili began to remove his cloak and set his pack down as Fili turned back to the hobbit, shoving his swords into Bilbo's arms. "Careful with these, I just had them sharpened" He started undo his cloak and hung it on a hook, turning back to the hobbit as Kili began to look around.

"It's nice this place, did you do it yourself?" Kili then began to wipe the mud off of his boots and onto a wooden box by the wall.

"U-Uh, no, it's been in the family for years" Bilbo turned to look at him and his eyes widened as he saw what the young dwarf was doing. "That's my mother's glory box, can you please not do that!" Fili was pulling out daggers from all over himself and placing them on the growing pile in Bilbo's hands when Dwalin came over.

"Fili, Kili, come on, give us a hand!" He promptly began to drag Kili away and Fili followed suit as they walked over to the dining room. Balin stood waiting by the door to the dining room for them and patted their arms as they came over, "Let's shove this in the hallway or we'll never get everyone in" They then began to pull out the cupboards that lined the wall as Bilbo followed them into the room.

"Everyone? How many more are there?" Just as he finished speaking, the doorbell chimed _again _and Bilbo's head quickly turned in the direction of the noise. "Oh, no! No, no, there's nobody home!" He quickly dropped the weapons in his arms on a chair in the hall and walked towards the door. "Go away and bother somebody else!" He threw the sword slung over his arm onto the floor, thrusting his thumb in the direction of the already present dwarves as he continued to speak. "There's far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is! I-If this is some plot heads idea of a joke, I can only say it is in very poor taste!"

He gripped the door handle tightly, pulling it with a bit too much force, and eight more dwarves crashed loudly to the floor in front of his feet. They let out a unison of groans as a tall man with a pointy hat and wooden staff ducked his head to peer inside the chaotic hobbit hole. Bilbo sighed exasperatedly as he saw who it was. "Gandalf."

Chaos quickly ensued as the dwarves walked into the dining room to find Balin, Dwalin, Fili and Kili sitting around the table with only mugs of ale in their hands and the pantry locked. "Where's the food?" A dwarf with a funny mustache and a strange hat spoke up from the back of the newly arrived guests and the others began to grumble loudly in agreement.

"The lad says we have to wait but he won't tell us why and won't let us into the kitchen neither" They all began to protest loudly and turned to Bilbo. Gandalf looked down at the frowning hobbit by his side and smiled.

"Where is Gwen, if I might ask?" He waited for an answer as the hobbit blinked and looked up at the wizard, ignoring the dwarves as they continued to argue.

"She's in the kitchen but I wouldn't go in, she strictly told me this morning to keep everyone out and I haven't seen her since!" Gandalf turned back to the dwarves who had begun to fill mugs of ale and find seats around the table, all the while grumbling loudly about how hungry they were. "You will have your food soon enough, master dwarves!" They seemed to perk up a bit but still frowned at the wizard who chuckled quietly and made his way towards one of the nearby curtains.

He ignored Bilbo's frantic calls and pushed the curtain aside to find himself looking down at the small girl pacing back and forth with her head in her hands, quiet groans of frustration being produced every so often. He cleared his throat and smiled as her head shot up so that she was fiercely glaring at him before she realized who it was. Gwen sighed in relief and laughed as he walked over to him. "Gandalf!"

* * *

**Okay so I haven't updated as soon as I would have liked because of personal issues and going back to school etc but I also wasn't sure about this chapter. I've gone over it so many times that I just can't think of anything else and it's really frustrating. But I have read over the reviews from the first chapter and I'm pleased that you guys liked it, I've had the idea for this fic in my head for a while now and I'm glad that I've started to write it up. Please continue to review and tell me what you think, I'm always looking for ways to improve and you guys are helping massively c: **


	3. Don't You Worry Child

Gwen couldn't stop the thoughts that flew around in her mind as they clashed and fought against each other. It was dizzying and she could vaguely feel herself swaying from side to side.

_What if they didn't like me? What if they think I'm not good enough and refused to bring me on the quest? What if they did bring me on the quest but change their minds on the way and throw me out? What if... _

She hadn't felt so insecure and scared since she had been in her old world. She had hoped that she would never have to feel like that again but apparently her mind had other ideas as more insecurities and doubts continued to flow into the others, pushing against her skull and making her feel as though her head would burst at the seams.

Her head was throbbing erratically and she could feel cold beads of sweat rolling down her back. She began to claw at her head and chest as her heart rate increased and thrummed out of rhythm. Her heart felt like was pushing against her rib cage as though it was fighting for air and the world around her seemed to fade, the noises of the dwarves in the next room dulled to a faint buzzing. It was all becoming unbearable as her senses were overwhelmed and she thought she would black out from the fear that coursed through her.

It was then that she heard him.

His voice was barely noticeable at first; blending in with the dull murmur of the others but it had gradually gotten louder and clearer, becoming the only thing she could hear. There was something soothing about it, despite the rough edge and deepness of it, and she let herself fixate on it as it slowly drew her out of her moment of terror.

Her breathing was ragged as she let herself slide down the cabinet door behind her and hit the floor with a quiet thud. She closed her eyes, taking in the voice as if it were a drug; scrambling for more as her heart rate began to decrease and the rise and fall of her chest slowed. She felt as though it was a brilliant light; invading her mind and clearing the dense fog that lay claim to her thoughts. She was no longer sweating but her dress clung to her back and she felt the dizziness disappear completely before she let out a relieved sigh.

Gwen didn't know who's voice it was or why it was that specific one that she heard but in that moment she didn't care. It had been the first anxiety attack she'd had in three months and disappointment filled her as she realized that she would have to start over again and eventually tell Bilbo. She didn't want to even think about how disappointed he would be when she told him; he was always ecstatic with her progress and never failed trying to comfort her when it happened but she would never miss the disappointment on his face when it did and it was the one thing she couldn't bear to see.

When she felt she was calm enough, Gwen slowly eased herself off of the ground and braced herself against the sink. She filled a cup of water with a shaky hand and slowly drank it, keeping the other braced against the sink in case her knees buckled beneath her like they sometimes would. She noticed that the sky outside was much darker than when she had last checked and wondered just how long she had been on the floor for. She also noticed that there was a significantly higher amount of voices coming from the other room and realized that the other dwarves must have just arrived. That left only one yet to arrive and she didn't want to think about how she was going to talk him into letting her join the company with Bilbo.

She closed her eyes and sighed. She didn't even know how to even introduce herself to the ones who were already here, she wasn't sure how she would convince them of letting her join their quest. She had been too nervous to go out when there was only two of them, let alone twelve. She groaned in frustration and began to slowly pace back and forth as she tried to come up with a way that wouldn't draw too much attention to her. When nothing sprang to mind she groaned once again and dropped her face into her hands. _I should have just gone out there when the first one arrived, at least then I could have just left him to introduce me to everyone. _

Her head snapped up when she heard someone clear their throat and she glared at them-remembering that she specifically told Bilbo _not_ to let anyone in until she said-but then she saw who it was and a broad grin broke out on her face. "Gandalf!"

The wizard chuckled quietly and opened his arms when she moved to embrace him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and squeezing them gently. "It is good to see you again, my dear! But I find that I am still quite confused as to how you know me and yet I do not know you..." He pulled away and smiled down at her before noticing how disheveled she looked. "You look as though you've seen a ghost, are you alright child?" He frowned and watched as she took a step backwards, combing her hair back into place before rubbing one of her forearm nervously and avoiding his gaze.

"I-I'm fine, just a little nervous is all" She smiled weakly at him, he shook his head and sat her down on the small bench that stood beside the table. "I guess I should tell you where I'm actually from then." He raised an eyebrow before sitting down beside her. "I-I'm not entirely sure how I got here myself... I just remembered seeing a white light and then waking up to find Bilbo rubbing my back while I was being sick by the river in the forest." Gandalf frowned but stayed silent and gestured for her to continue.

"All I know is that I'm from a completely different world and that this-" She waved her hands above her head, gesturing to everything around them. "is just a fictional place." When she looked back up at him, he wore a deep frown and was staring at her intently. She ducked her head and began to fidget in her seat, wondering if he would actually believe her or call her a mad woman and find another hobbit for the quest, one that didn't have a deranged daughter who would tag along.

"This quest..." She looked up at him hopefully and waited for him to continue. "It really is a story in this world you say you're from?" Her eyes widened when she realized it meant he really did believed her.

"Y-You b-believe me?" She winced a bit at how unsure she sounded but the wizard just smiled down at her softly.

"I am a wizard! There are not many things I haven't seen, my dear. But this, this is something I will have to go to council about-" He was cut off when she suddenly grabbed his arm and whispered excitedly.

"Galadriel!" He stared down at her in shock, wondering just how much she knew from this story of hers and what would entail.

"You know how this story ends don't you?" The excitement faded from her eyes as she imagined the inevitable war that was to come and the deaths of the three most important members of the company. His expression softened and he felt greatly saddened as realization hit him. "We fail to reclaim the mountain..."

She smiled sadly as she shook her head. "The company succeeds, but at a price." She could feel tears well up in her eyes when she remembered how much she had cried whenever she read the book and she wondered if she would cry as hard if she were to actually witness how the quest ends. "That is why I want to come with you, I want to change it." Gwen was looking up at him with such determination and intensity that Gandalf knew he had been right to chose Gwen for this quest. All he had to do now was convince Thorin to let her join but he was sure that wouldn't be a problem, though he would need her to help.

Gandalf turned to look back at the curtain he came in through as the noise coming from the next room had increased greatly "I think it is time to eat otherwise Bilbo will have a brawl in his dining room" He stood and offered his hand to Gwen who was staring at the curtain uneasily. "Is something wrong?"

Gwen took his hand and slowly rose to her feet, rubbing her forearm and biting her lip nervously. "I-I'm not so g-good with strangers..."

Gandalf looked down at her curiously; wondering how she could so easily change from being elated to suddenly reluctant. "It will be alright, they will not harm you. But I should warn you, do not tell them of your knowledge of the quest, it could change everything as we know it." She nodded once before taking a deep breath and walking to the curtain closely behind him.

* * *

Dwalin had been complaining grumpily about the size of the portions of food at the inn down the road and how all anyone did was stare at him when Gandalf emerged from the kitchen. He didn't pay him any attention at first and continued talking quietly to Oin, Gloin and Balin, but when he looked up the second time, his breath caught in his throat. There, standing awkwardly in front of the curtain Gandalf had come out from, was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

She was not overly beautiful, with her plain blonde locks that fell over her shoulders in curls and button nose. Her hair framed her heart shaped face and made her hazel eyes glimmer softly as her eyes darted cautiously over each member of the company before resting on the floor. She was chewing nervously on her full bottom lip which Dwalin found he couldn't tear his eyes from. No, she was not overly beautiful, but Dwalin thought so nonetheless.

Gandalf cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention and causing them to all look at the girl, she shifted on her feet and flinched slightly when all eyes turned to her. He didn't miss the way the hobbit had moved to her side and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "Would you like to introduce yourself, my dear?" She looked up at Gandalf, almost frightened, before looking up at the company shyly.

"G-Gwendolyn, a-at your service" Her voice was soft and she curtsied, avoiding meeting their gazes and Dwalin couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable she looked as she stood awkwardly rubbing her arm. Kili and Fili were the first ones up; both scrambling over each other and racing to greet her first.

Despite their scuffling, they both reached her at the same time, each taking one of her hands and kissing her knuckles which caused her to blush and look away.

"Kili-"

"And Fili-"

"At your service!" They spoke in unison before they were pushed to the side by Bofur. Like Kili and Fili, he took one of her hands but not before removing his hat and bowing slightly.

"Bofur, at your service m'lovely lady!" Gwen couldn't help but blush further at his compliment before he moved to the side and was replaced by three more dwarves. The first two introduced themselves as Nori and Dori, the third seemed just as shy as Gwen and only introduced himself as Ori after a small shove to his ribs by Nori. The introductions kept going as she was introduced to Oin, Gloin, Bifur, and Balin.

Gwen didn't have to guess to know who the last dwarf to introduce himself was. She peered up at him curiously as she took in his tattooed hands and head as well as the slightly grumpy look on his face that had his mouth turned down at the corners where they met his beard. He crossed his large arms over his chest as he spoke. "Dwalin, at your service." His voice was gruff and he didn't bow or take her hand to offer her a kiss on her knuckles as the others had but Gwen didn't mind. She was too focused on how surprisingly handsome she thought he was, even compared to the younger Fili and Kili who she thought no doubt had many girls after them.

His frown deepened when he didn't receive a reply, her eyes only widened slightly and she blushed again as she realized she had been blatantly staring. Thankfully, she was saved by a small whine from Kili.

"Can we eat now?" He had a frown on his face and was pouting slightly which made Gwen smile before she realized they were asking her.

"O-Oh, um, th-through here" She moved back to the curtain and pulled it aside before stepping through and holding it open so that they could follow her into the kitchen. She couldn't help but feel a sense of pride when she heard a collection of gasps and cheering at the table laden with the food she'd spent the day making. When everyone was in, Gwen moved to stand next to Bilbo who she noted also had a proud gleam in his eye. She smiled when she looked at the dwarves to find them all staring at the food hungrily and even giggled when she noted drool running down a few of their chins.

"You did all this yourself, lass?" Bombur had been the one to speak but they had all turned to look at her in awe as she nodded shyly.

"Bilbo's a lucky hobbit to have found a wife who can cook a feast such as this!" Gwen's eyes widened and she blushed when Bofur spoke and sent a wink her way but his expression changed quickly to confusion when she shook her head.

"He's, um, we're not-" She didn't know why she was so flustered, plenty of people thought that they were married and she had easily been able to brush it off so she didn't understand why she was so shy about it now. "We're not married..." They had all looked confused for a moment until Bofure spoke up again.

"Daughter then?" But they had only looked even more confused when she shook ahead.

"I-It's a long story" They hadn't failed to notice the slight sadness in her voice and so they left it at that when she gestured for them to eat. It quickly turned chaotic as each dwarf grabbed the platters of food and took them into the dining room. Both Gwen and Gandalf were highly amused at their eagerness but couldn't blame them as they had been made to wait. Bilbo, on the other hand, was horrified at the mess they were making and he could only imagine the state of his house when they finished eating.

Most of the company had seated themselves around the table in the dining room and were now piling their plates as high as they could. Gwen had been dragged into a seat between Kili and Fili, despite her protests, and a large plate of food along with a mug of ale had been thrust into her hands. She noticed through the chaos that Gandalf didn't have a drink and it was only then that she remembered the bottle of wine she'd saved for him, knowing that he would prefer it to the bitter taste of ale.

"Gandalf?"

He turned to her with an amused smile and raised his eyebrows in question, "Yes, my dear?"

"There is a bottle in the kitchen with your name on it if you fancy a drink" He raised both eyebrows in surprise before slowly rising to his feet, narrowly missing pieces of food being thrown about. There was, indeed, a bottle and he hadn't expected it to literally have his name on it but he was pleased to find that it had a fruity bouquet, just as he liked it. When he returned to the small feast with a large cup of the wine, he was pleased to see that she was talking to Fili and Kili and couldn't help but chuckle at the light blush on her cheeks when Fili said something and Kili winked at her.

He also didn't miss the way her eyes would keep darting over to Dwalin every so often, or the way she smiled as she watched him howl with laughter after pouring ale down Oin's ear trumpet and Oin had blown through it making the thick liquid spew out the other end. He was quite intrigued at her sudden changes in behavior and her interest in Dwalin had only piqued his curiosity even more. But he was glad she was enjoying herself; something told him that she had not enjoyed herself this much in a long time.

* * *

In truth, Gwen didn't know what it was about the burly dwarf that had caught her attention. But as she watched him howl with laughter at the way Oin blew ale out of his ear trumpet, she was beginning to wonder about him. He was so different from when he stood towering over her during their introductions with his grumpy expression and stiff posture. Now he was relaxed, happy even. She wasn't sure why, but she found that she quite liked it.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Bofur suddenly yelled "Bombur, catch!" and had thrown a boiled egg which Bombur caught in his mouth. A roar of laughter erupted from the table and she couldn't help but join. She hadn't noticed before, but Fili had moved from his seat and was now walking across the table, careful not to tread on any food, while asking who wants an ale. She found another one had been thrust into her hands before someone yelled "Ale on the count of three! One! Two!" And the room went suddenly silent apart from the sounds of the dwarves gulping on their drinks. Gwen wasn't sure what to do until someone had lifted her ale to her face and she had no choice but to join in.

She pulled the ale away and gasped at the lack of breath before the company began burping all around her. She stared at Ori in shock as he stood, belching louder and longer than any of the others despite being smaller than all of them. But that wasn't what shocked the dwarves as she suddenly let out a great burp that outmatched even Ori. She threw her hands over her mouth and felt the heat rise to her cheeks as they all stared at her in shocked silence before they threw their hands up in cheers and she received a few pats on the back as she wiped a few runaway drops of ale from her chin.

Even Bilbo was staring at her in shock, he had never heard her let out such a disgusting sound but he couldn't help the swelling sense of joy in his gut as he noticed how happy she seemed.

It was only when the dwarves had finished their meal and they were talking contentedly between themselves did Gwen notice how much mess they had made and she groaned. She caught the attention of a few of the dwarves still in the room and ducked her head in embarrassment. "I realized that I'm going to have to clear all of this up!" A few of them sent her apologetic looks while others only chuckled but it was Bofur who replied.

"Don't worry lass, I got an idea of how we can clear this up for you!" She sent him a questioning look but he only winked at her and turned to Fili who nodded and left the room. It was only when the dwarves still sitting at the table began to stomp their feet and clash the cutlery together did she realize what was happening and plates began flying over Bilbo's head in the hallway. Gwen could hear Bilbo complaining about his mother's best west farthing pottery when he walked over and said "Can you not do that? You'll blunt them!" before sending Gwen a pointed look.

"Oh! Do you hear that lads? He says we'll blunt the knives!" Gwen could only shrug and offer Bilbo an apologetic smile before his attention was caught elsewhere as Kili began to sing.

_Blunt the knives bend the forks!_

_Smash the bottles and burn the corks! _

_Chip the glasses and crack the plates!_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

More of the dwarves began to join in as the song continued and Gwen could only watch in amusement as more plates and cutlery began flying through the air only to be caught at the last minute.

_Cut the cloth and trail the fat!_

_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!_

_Pour the milk on the pantry floor!_

_Splash the wine on every door! _

She had gotten up and was now walking around the hobbit hole, twirling and ducking as pottery came flying her way to be caught by the closest dwarf who would laugh at her shocked expression before disappearing to continue their tricks. She had been twirled and pulled and danced in all directions by the dwarves who found it quite amusing and was now watching from the doorway to the dining room as plates were rolled and slid across the table only to be held up and wiped clean by Dwalin and Bombur before thrown to some other dwarf before Gwen could even blink.

_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;_

_Pound them up with a thumping pole;_

_And when you've finished, if they are whole,_

_Send them down the hall to roll!_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

Gwen could only join in with the dwarves' laughter as Bilbo shoved his way through the crowd only to find neat piles of plates, cups and cutlery without a single scratch or chip on them. Her gaze was once again drawn to Dwalin who was roaring with laughter and patting Dori on the back. She wondered if he was only this joyful around the company and how he could have been so serious and brooding when they met and yet now he was so relaxed and joyous. But it was short lived as three resonating knocks came from the front door and suddenly everyone was eerily silent.

"He is here..."

Gwen felt her anxieties creep up on her again as she knew she would have to face the most important and probably the most reluctant member of the company. Only Bilbo and Gandalf noticed the change in her as took a step back into the dining room and watched silently as the company moved to greet the newest guest.

* * *

**This chapter was kinda hard for me to write, I've had a lot going on lately and I keep getting distracted from my writing so it's not as good as I hoped it would be. I'm so glad you guys like the first two chapters and look forward to the reviews I'll be getting on this one. Just want to thank you guys for all the support and taking the time to actually give your opinions, hope you all stay for the rest of the fic because I have big plans for this one c: I wasn't sure about the introduction between Gwen and Dwalin in this one but I'm curious to know what you all thought. Hopefully the next chapter will be better than this one, I can't wait to start writing it :3 Hope you enjoyed this one, see you next time :**


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